We have all been victims of false advertising when buying fruits. We sniff, feel, and look at the skin and color for perfectly ripe fruit only to realize that they are unripe and tasteless once we cut it open at home.
One such tricky fruit is cantaloupes. You cannot see what the flesh looks like, so you have to go off of the visuals on the outside.
If you pick the wrong cantaloupe most of the time despite doing all the right things, maybe you should learn how to pick a cantaloupe properly. After all, picking a cantaloupe is about more than just its skin color.
The first thing on how to pick cantaloupe 101 is to check for the stem or the lack of it. Ripe cantaloupes soften and "slip" off the vine from a light tug, leaving an indent. This "slipping" means ripe cantaloupes do not have stems, except for a few cultivars.
If the cantaloupes still have stems, it means they were harvested before they were ripe. So the next time you see a stem on the cantaloupe, avoid it and go for a stemless one.
Luckily, all the cantaloupes in the store do not have vines, making it easier for you to identify ripe cantaloupes. Or, depending on your point of view, you could also be considered unlucky because none of them are long shelf-life cantaloupe cultivars and thus will last less than a month even with refrigeration.
To check the ripeness of stemless cantaloupes, look at the indentations. The indentations should be inside and not outside. That means the scar on the indentation should be going inwards. The deeper, the better.
Another way to pick a good cantaloupe is to smell the blossom end, i.e. the end of the cantaloupe, which is opposite from the side containing the stem end. Place the blossom just under your nose and take a whiff. You should smell a sweet, floral, and musky aroma, which indicates the cantaloupe is ripe.
Sometimes, you can get the smell without having to smell the bottom. If it does not have a scent, chances are it is an aromaless long shelf-life cantaloupe, but do not rely on only the aroma test to judge the shelf-life cantaloupe.
Feel all around the cantaloupe with your hands and thumb. Cantaloupe should be firm all over except the stem and the blossom ends. If you press it gently near the blossom and stem ends, it should give slightly and return to its original shape.
All the remaining parts should be firm and not give when pressed. Otherwise, it might be overripe. On the other hand, if it is hard, like a watermelon all over, the cantaloupe is not ripe and should not be purchased.
If you are wondering how to pick a ripe cantaloupe based on its color, check for straw, tanned yellow, or a nice golden color with a musky aroma. In some cases, cantaloupes could be yellow with discoloration, mold, or bruising. So, take your time and avoid don’t grab the first yellow cantaloupe you see.
Cantaloupes that are partially green or greenish are not ripe or ready for you. However, if all the cantaloupes in the store are green, they are likely cultivars that do not lose their green even after ripening rather than being an unripe cantaloupe. If you are unsure, you can always ask for help.
When running your fingers over the American cantaloupes, you should be able to feel the edges of the thick webbing of the outer skin, with the blossom end being an exception, as when the fruit ripens, it becomes heavier and begins to rest on the ground.
This results in a slightly different coloration and texture than the rest of the fruit due to not being exposed to the sun. Therefore, in most cases, having smooth skin despite the slight outlook of a webby texture means it's not ripe. Furthermore, the fruit should also not be shiny.
A unique way to learn how to pick a ripe cantaloupe might be to test with knocking. After all, if it can work for watermelons, why can't it work for cantaloupes?
You are right. It can! But it is also different from how to pick a watermelon. Pick up the cantaloupe on your less dominant hand and knock on the rind the same way you would knock on a door.
If the knock results in a high and hollow sound, it would indicate a ripe watermelon but not a ripe cantaloupe. For cantaloupe, you want a low, deep, and solid sound.
Fruits such as cantaloupes enlarge after fertilization and end up with asymmetric and irregular shapes from problems in pollination or fluctuations in watering. When fertilization is problematic or incomplete, i.e., a segment of the ovary misses out on pollination.
The plant hormones that trigger fruit growth are produced by the developing embryo. Thus, when an ovary is unfertilized, they do not develop into embryos, resulting in uneven fruit.
You have performed the tests mentioned above and narrowed it down to two or three good cantaloupes. But now you cannot decide which one to choose because they are similar sizes, you can try comparing the weights of the cantaloupes.
Hold both of the cantaloupes in your hands and feel the weight carefully. If the shop has a weighing machine, that's even better. Request the grocery clerk to weigh the cantaloupes for you and choose the heavier one.
Why?
Buying a heavier cantaloupe might be heavier on your wallet, but there is a perfectly good reason for this. When cantaloupes are ripening, they gain water content and thus become heavier.
Apart from checking the ripeness, you should check whether the cantaloupe is safe for consumption. But how to pick a cantaloupe melon that fits this category? Check for blemishes and cracks.
Your cantaloupe could be fresh and ripe, but if there are blemishes and cracks, avoid them. These cracks and blemishes allow mold and bacteria to enter. Washing the rind before cutting could wash away the mold and bacteria. But this doesn't work if the surface is breached and the mold attacks the flesh.
The rinds of a ripe yellow-tan-skinned cantaloupe should have a dull and slightly rough surface. The ripe cantaloupe rind should have a muted, dull appearance, while an unripe cantaloupe will have a shiny, lustrous sheen on its rind for various reasons.
A cantaloupe that's not fully developed will have immature skin that lacks the netted webbing texture, which allows the fruit to reflect more light. Additionally, the outer skin retains more water and natural waxes, which further intensifies the glossy sheen.
Except for some truly remarkable fruits such as apples, mangoes, and bananas, which can continue to ripen after harvest, all melons, including cantaloupes, do not ripen once it is off the vine.
Cantaloupes' sugar content does not increase after harvesting. They only become softer, which is just the first of many steps of the decaying process. Therefore, refrigerate all cantaloupes immediately if you aren't ready to consume them, whether ripe or unripe.
Picking the cantaloupe at the right time is crucial if you want a perfectly sweet and soft cantaloupe. If you are early, the cantaloupe is not sweet. If you are late, it is mushy and watery.
You could rely on your calendar to pick the cantaloupes (80 to 90 days after planting), but this is not always dependable since the ripeness is affected by growing conditions and variety.
Instead, you should rely on your senses. Cantaloupes that are ready for picking have cracks in the stem. These cracks allow you to remove the cantaloupes from the vines without resistance. If you need to use force to remove one, leave it as it is not ripe yet.
You should also examine the tendrils. Cantaloupes grow on vines with tendrils, which dry out when the fruit is ripe.
Ripe cantaloupes should be kept at 36°F to 41°F in the crisper drawer. As for the humidity, cantaloupes need 95% to 100% humidity to prevent drying. You can crank up the humidity levels if it is low. Under these conditions, freshly harvested cantaloupes will last 5 to 15 days.
If your melons are from the supermarket or grocery stores, they will last five days more or less in the refrigerator depending on their initial ripeness- the riper they are, the shorter they last.
Cantaloupe matures in about 80 to 90 days. They are ready for harvest when they turn yellow on the bottom and the stem turns brown.
But this time frame only applies if you grow and care for cantaloupe well.
